The Three Domains of
Learning
Dr. Verkler
EDG 4410
Teaching Strategies and Classroom
Management
University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
Fall 2014
Domains of Learning
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Each lesson plan must include
goals/objectives, or statements indicating
what students should be able to do at the
end of a period of instruction.
These goals are known as goal statements,
goals objectives, objectives, or learning
targets.
Each objective falls within at least one of
three domains (or categories) of learning.
The Affective Domain
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Objectives reflecting underlying emotions,
feelings, or values are said to come from
the affective domain.
The affective domain contains five levels,
each of which builds upon the other.
Example: The music student will appreciate
music from the Baroque period.
Hierarchical Levels of the
Affective Domain
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Receiving (Attending)
Responding
Valuing
Organization
Characterization by a value or value
complex: One behaves in a manner
consistent with one’s value system.
Levels of the Affective Domain
Level
Description
Verbs
Objective
Receiving
Being aware of, or attending to
something in the environment.
Listen
Notice
Tolerate
Listen attentively to
badminton
introduction.
Responding
Showing some new behavior as
a result of experience.
Comply
Enjoy
Follow
Voluntarily help set
up badminton nets.
Valuing
Showing some definite
involvement or commitment.
Carry out
Express
Attend optional
badminton match.
Organization
Integrating a new value into
one's general set of values
relative to other priorities.
Choose
Consider
Prefer
Purchase own
badminton racket.
Characterization
Acting consistently with the
new value; person is known by
the value.
Act on
Depict
Exemplify
Join intramurals to
play badminton twice
per week.
Table developed by W. Huitt (1998)
Psychomotor Domain
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Objectives in this domain deal with
movement.
Example: The dance student will
perform all 5 basic positions of ballet
with 100% accuracy.
Psychomotor Domain
Hierarchy
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Moving – gross motor control, such as skipping and
running
Manipulating – fine motor coordination, such as
writing, drawing, cutting
Communicating – communication of ideas and
feelings, such as body language, gestures, and
facial expressions
Creating – represents the student’s coordination of
thinking, learning, and behaving in all three
domains (such as drama, dance, art, etc.)
Cognitive Domain
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Objectives that deals with level of thinking required
of the student
Most objectives in the schools
tend to come from the cognitive
domain.
Cognitive domains most referred to:
– Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives; six
hierarchical levels.
– Anderson and Krathwohl’s Taxonomy
 Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy
 Flips the last two levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
Cognitive Domain
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New Model: Anderson and Krathwohl’s Taxonomy (2000)
Very similar to Bloom’s Taxonomy, except for switching of the
two highest levels.
Anderson and Krathwohl’s
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Taxonomy
Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
of Educational Objectives
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Knowledge: requires students to memorize
and recall information
Comprehension: requires students to
demonstrate some level of understanding
Application: requires students to use
previously acquired information in a setting
other than that in which it was learned.
Students are required to transfer their skills
to another setting/situation.
Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
of Educational Objectives
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Analysis: requires students to draw relationships
among ideas or to compare/contrast; break down
information.
Synthesis: requires students to draw from what
he/she has learned and produce something unique.
Highest level in Anderson and Krathwohl’s
model.
Evaluation: requires students to form judgments
about the value or worth of something and to
substantiate his/her judgment. Next to the
highest level in Anderson and Krathwohl’s
model.
Levels of the Cognitive Domain
Level
Description
Knowledge
To recall or recognize information
in some pre-arranged form.
Verbs
Objective
Define
List
Define levels of
cognitive domain.
Comprehen- To understand meaning of
sion
information based on prior
learning.
Describe
Explain
Interpret
Explain purpose of
cognitive domain.
Application
To utilize information to complete
a task with limited direction.
Compute
Solve
Use
Write objective for
levels of cognitive
domain.
Analysis
To classify and relate assumptions
or evidence.
Contrast
Examine
Compare cognitive &
affective domains.
Synthesis
To integrate or combine ideas into
a new product or plan.
Design
Develop
Organize
Design way to write
objectives that
combines 3 domains.
Evaluation
Critique idea based on specific
standards and criteria.
Appraise
Judge
Justify
Judge effectiveness of
writing objectives
using taxonomy.
Table developed by W. Huitt (1998)